Things to Do in Sacramento

Local Sacramento secrets and how to get a free rental car with Transfercar

Sacramento Relocation Deals

Sacramento is one of California’s most interesting and attractive cities. Although often overshadowed by its larger cousins, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, Sacramento is a large and vibrant community with extensive entertainment options, historic sites and cultural attractions. Named in 2002 the most diverse city in the country by TIME magazine, Sacramento was born from a fusion of pioneer spirit and immigrant tenacity and today is a growing city with much to recommend it to potential visitors.

Those looking for a California vacation destination but wary of the crowds and costs of visiting San Francisco or San Diego would do well to consider the many offerings Sacramento has for visitors of all persuasions. Or, you could see them all with Transfercar’s free R.V. and car rental service from major U.S. cities.

The name of the city comes from the first European visitors to the region, a Spanish explorer and his party who described the area as being as beautiful as the blessed sacraments. The first permanent settlement was established by Swiss immigrant John Sutter, whose original trading post and depot, Sutter’s Fort, still stands as a historic site today. The discovery of gold at nearby Sutter’s Mill (also owned by Sutter) was the spark of the famous California Gold Rush, and the resulting migration caused the city to explode in population.

Despite several epidemics and city-wide floods, the city continued to grow, becoming the oldest chartered city in the state and the eventual choice of state capital. Today its largest employer is the state government, with other major sources of employment being agriculture, especially rice growing and shipping; construction, and higher education.

Places to see

Things to do

Places to stay

Places to eat

As one would expect for a city named most diverse in the nation, Sacramento attractions include a wide variety of excellent restaurants with cuisine from all corners of the globe. The offerings listed here are merely a jumping-off point for your search for the best meal in the city. Midtown restaurants tend to be more upscale and trendy, while choices in the suburbs are more dominated by national chain offerings. Restaurants are listed roughly from most expensive to least expensive.

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There are tons of Sacramento activities to recommend it, but perhaps even more importantly, its central location places it near a number of other cities and attractions that draw thousands of visitors a year. All of the following can be reached from Sacramento in no more than a couple hours by car:

Places to go out

  • Streets of London; great central location, a little on the small side
  • Faces; recently enlarged and renovated gay nightclub with pool out back
  • Sac Badlands; gay-friendly nightclub, connected to Badlands in San Francisco
  • Pine Cove Tavern; laid-back dive, very popular on weekends
  • Blue Cue; an upscale sports bar with great prices and food

Other sites nearby

  • Donner Pass
  • Lake Tahoe
  • Reno
  • San Francisco/Bay Area
  • Gold Country
  • Napa Valley

For all its attractions and popularity, vacationing in California can be a perilous exercise. There is so much to see, so many cities and natural wonders and beautiful sunsets and theme parks that it would be hard to run out of things to see and do. At the same time, the heat, the crowds, the prices and the tourist traps can sap even the most enterprising visitor’s spirits. In Sacramento, you can find the best of both worlds - quality entertainment, dining and more in town, plus more to see within an easy day’s reach, without having to tackle the press that makes summer in San Diego so popular and so exhausting.

Soak up the still-engaging history of the Gold Rush and the founding of California, or go exploring in the natural beauty that encouraged the early explorers to name the region after the blessed Sacraments so dear to them. Wherever you go, you’ll find unique and engaging experiences just waiting to become part of your vacation story.

To save some money on travel expenses, check out Transfercar’s free car and R.V. rental servie.